Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-20
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
a View of the State Half a Century Back.
Texas Then and Texas Now.
nrrN-

| A view or the state HAN a Century BACK.
Texas Then and Texas Now.
BONHAM, TEX, March i, 1887.
To the Editor of the Gazette.
! Fifty years ago this day my father and
family arrived on this prairie where the
staid old town of B0nham now stands.
Then there were only two families within
ten miles Of this place, there being but g
fri0ge OF settlers on Red river IN the
limits of what is now Fannin county, and
it may seem strange to many people who
only recently came into Texas to make it
their home, wnenI remark that line
from Gainesville, Tex, southwest to the
Rio Grande, thence north to Red river,
thence Gown that river to point north
west from Gainesville, die not contain a
village, to say nothing of town or city
| What wonderful change has taken place!
Toms and cities springing up es if by
magic, almost; where the buffalo, the
elk, the deer and numberless other ami
mails rOamed ct pleasure over the prairles
in their primitive beauty, now we
see the bustling city, the
thriving town, the prosperous farm.
Seeing an article published some time
since in your paper from the pen of an old
timer of Tarrant, reminded me that had
been here a longer time still than he, but
for the fact of my being here in 81 take
no credit to myself, of course, as l was
only little boy OF ten years of ege; still
l was delighted to be here, but | must ad-
NIT that when the Indian war came on
two years after the scene was rather
changed, when we had to take guns into
the field when We plOWed the corn.
But to return to the article mentioned
as having appeared in THE GAZETTE, in
which many familiar names were men
toned, among them the Jolly sutler st
Fort Worth when it was O military post,
and well knew Alex Young, for that was
the settlers name raised in the Quaker
City, and Lieutenant Bold, who fought his
way up from the ranks to shoulder straps,
and the brave old Major Byrd, who estab
llshed Byrd's Fort, old General Tarrant,
in whose honor your county was named,
the lamented JOnn B. Denton, who lost,
his life a the hands of the red men. Here
was s master man. With no education
when married, by dInt Of perseverance he
became passsbly good scholar, and for
feTvid elOquenCe in the pulpit has rarely.
been eQualed. Many others We're named
who were remembered with pleasure.
Nearly all the people who became settlers
in Peters Colony passed by my fatder' 81
house; many passed by again, leaving tie
country, ruined in health as we'll rs for
tune Several couples came from the
Byrd's Fort settlement here to be married,
there being neither officer to issue IL
cense nor officer to perform the cere-
m0ny there. And, by the way, more
than forty years ago your humble servant
issued these missives for the County
Clerk of Old Fannin while he was
surveying land for the incoming citizens
to-day he is doing the same and kindred
things in the County Clerks Office.
During the turbulent year of 1852 for
Peters Colony lived in Mckinney, and
when the storm against Henry o. Hedge
coke, the agent Of the company, broke
forth, and General John J. Good of Dallas
marched up to Collin to capture the
archives they We're in my possession, but
was only a passive actor in that affair. |
l took care never to speak of this little |
episode when in Dallas for good many |
yesrs after that, but I suppose the Cen
eral would laugh at the mention of the
incident now.
With many good wishes for TIE GA
zETTE, aaa very truly, r. INGLE. !